Unchained Classes


Character class is one of the most important parts of creating a character. This section presents four new takes on existing classes, which have been redesigned to improve their ease of use and power relative to other classes. In addition, this section contains new rules that relate to character advancement.

Barbarian Unchained

Though rage remains similar to its original design, it’s now easier to implement, and rage powers have been rebalanced to become a more important part of the class.

Monk Unchained

Receiving the most wide-reaching changes, the monk now has expanded options in the form of ki powers, allowing you to create exactly the monk you want to play.

Rogue Unchained

The revised rogue gains enhancements to its combat abilities and solidifies its role as the master of skills.

Summoner Unchained

The revised summoner remains largely the same, aside from a revised spell list, but players will benefit from big changes to eidolons, which now have subtypes that flavor many of your choices.

Other Class & Advancement Variant Rules

Staggered Advancement

Staggered advancement allows you to gain some of your bonuses, such as skill ranks, hit points, and saving throws, at even breaks between levels.

When increasing in level, characters often gain new abilities and powers seemingly overnight. The following advancement variant allows you to add some verisimilitude to the way in which your characters grow in power.

Instead of gaining all your new abilities when you advance to the next level, you divide them among four XP tiers: 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%. Each XP tier represents a specific percentage of the XP required to advance to the next level.

Using Staggered Advancement

First, select the class in which you’ll gain your next level. You must meet all the prerequisites for that class level.

Whenever you reach a new XP tier, gain the appropriate universal abilities and skill ranks for that class as detailed in Table: Staggered Advancement. Your feat, ability score, and spell progressions remain unchanged.

Universal Abilities: Universal abilities include your selected class’s base attack bonus, hit points (hp), and saving throw bonuses. At the 25%, 50%, and 75% XP tiers, you can select one of the following options.

Base Attack Bonus: Increase your selected class’s base attack bonus (if applicable).

Hit Points: Determine the number of hit points you would gain for advancing to the next level in your class and add 50% of those hit points (rounding down) to your hit point maximum. When you advance fully to the next level of your selected class, add the remaining hit points.

Saving Throw Bonuses: Increase your class’s saving throw bonuses (if applicable).

Each of the above options can only be selected once per level. Additionally, the base attack bonuses and saving throw bonuses of some classes don’t increase each time they advance in level. If only one universal ability is applicable, incorporate it at the 75% tier. If two are applicable, incorporate one at the 50% tier and the other at the 75% tier (your choice).

Class Features: Characters gain all class features upon reaching the next level.

Skill Ranks: Determine the total number of skill ranks you would gain for advancing to the next level in your selected class, and allocate 50% of the skill ranks (rounding down) when you reach the 50% XP tier. When you advance fully to the next level, you can spend the remaining skill ranks.

Table: Staggered Advancement assumes you are using the medium XP advancement track. If you use the fast or slow XP advancement track, you can use this table as a model from which to extrapolate the XP requirements for each XP tier.

Table: Staggered Advancement
Character Level XP XP Tier Universal Abilities Class Abilities Skill Ranks
1st 0 As standard rules for a 1st-level character
500 25% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
1,000 50% BAB, 50% hp, or saves 50%
1,500 75% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
2nd 2,000 Remaining 50% of hp All Remaining 50%
2,750 25% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
3,500 50% BAB, 50% hp, or saves 50%
4,250 75% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
3rd 5,000 Remaining 50% of hp All Remaining 50%
6,000 25% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
7,000 50% BAB, 50% hp, or saves 50%
8,000 75% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
4th 9,000 Remaining 50% of hp All Remaining 50%
10,500 25% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
12,000 50% BAB, 50% hp, or saves 50%
13,500 75% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
5th 15,000 Remaining 50% of hp All Remaining 50%
17,000 25% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
19,000 50% BAB, 50% hp, or saves 50%
21,000 75% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
6th 23,000 Remaining 50% of hp All Remaining 50%
26,000 25% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
29,000 50% BAB, 50% hp, or saves 50%
32,000 75% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
7th 35,000 Remaining 50% of hp All Remaining 50%
39,000 25% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
43,000 50% BAB, 50% hp, or saves 50%
47,000 75% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
8th 51,000 Remaining 50% of hp All Remaining 50%
57,000 25% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
63,000 50% BAB, 50% hp, or saves 50%
69,000 75% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
9th 75,000 Remaining 50% of hp All Remaining 50%
82,500 25% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
90,000 50% BAB, 50% hp, or saves 50%
97,500 75% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
10th 105,000 Remaining 50% of hp All Remaining 50%
117,500 25% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
130,000 50% BAB, 50% hp, or saves 50%
142,500 75% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
11th 155,000 Remaining 50% of hp All Remaining 50%
171,250 25% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
187,500 50% BAB, 50% hp, or saves 50%
203,750 75% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
12th 220,000 Remaining 50% of hp All Remaining 50%
243,750 25% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
267,500 50% BAB, 50% hp, or saves 50%
291,250 75% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
13th 315,000 Remaining 50% of hp All Remaining 50%
347,500 25% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
380,000 50% BAB, 50% hp, or saves 50%
412,500 75% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
14th 445,000 Remaining 50% of hp All Remaining 50%
492,500 25% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
540,000 50% BAB, 50% hp, or saves 50%
587,500 75% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
15th 635,000 Remaining 50% of hp All Remaining 50%
698,750 25% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
762,500 50% BAB, 50% hp, or saves 50%
826,250 75% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
16th 890,000 Remaining 50% of hp All Remaining 50%
992,500 25% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
1,095,000 50% BAB, 50% hp, or saves 50%
1,197,500 75% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
17th 1,300,000 Remaining 50% of hp All Remaining 50%
1,425,000 25% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
1,550,000 50% BAB, 50% hp, or saves 50%
1,675,000 75% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
18th 1,800,000 Remaining 50% of hp All Remaining 50%
1,987,500 25% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
2,175,000 50% BAB, 50% hp, or saves 50%
2,362,500 75% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
19th 2,550,000 Remaining 50% of hp All Remaining 50%
2,812,500 25% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
3,075,000 50% BAB, 50% hp, or saves 50%
3,337,500 75% BAB, 50% hp, or saves
20th 3,600,000 Remaining 50% of hp All Remaining 50%
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